Government approves National Skills Academy for Food & Drink Manufacturing

2 February 2007: Skills Minister Phil Hope MP today announced the approval of a National Skills Academy for Food & Drink Manufacturing. This newly approved Academy will open in April 2007 and will aim to provide vocational education and training for at least 28,000 employees during its first four years.

The training will be delivered through a network of approved Academy Centres, each contributing by its particular specialist area of expertise. The first five training centres have been announced and more will be added as the Academy expands.

Announcing the new Academy, Phil Hope said:

“I am delighted that the Food & Drink Manufacturing sector is now represented in the growing network of National Skills Academies. It is vital that we continue to improve our capacity for learning by driving up standards and specialisation if we are to compete successfully in the global market. We want to achieve our aim of up to 12 academies operational by 2008 and that is why we announced earlier this month that employers are now invited to bid to be part of the next round of National Skills Academies.”

The Food and Drink Academy is a joint venture between Improve (the Sector Skills Council for the food and drink sector) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).